Two Pop Warner Little Scholars coaches -- Angela Potter, cheer coach for Pfafftown Packers Pop Warner (Winston-Salem, NC) and Aaron Skinner, football coach for Saddleback Valley Pop Warner (Lake Forest, CA) -- will receive Pop Warner Double-Goal Coach Awards at this weekend's Pop Warner Scholastic Banquet.

PCA, as part of its its national partnership with Pop Warner, each year honors one cheer coach and one football coach who embody the model of a Double-Goal Coach, whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports. Coaches typically are nominated by their peers or by their players' parents.

"Angela and Aaron are the kind of coaches we are proud to have in Pop Warner," said Pop Warner Executive Director Jon Butler. "Their values and the way they coach are perfect examples of what we would like to provide our youth athletes and their families though our partnership with PCA."

Potter, who cheered for eight years in the organization where she now coaches, took that route because, "The coaching and teaching I received helped me develop into an adult," she said. In her nine years of coaching, Potter has led teams to regionals seven times and to nationals five times.

More importantly, she is so committed to the overall development of her athletes that her family has taken into their home a cheerleader whose mother was facing difficult personal circumstances. "They had enough faith in me, and the girl had spoken positively enough of me to her mother, that she asked me to take her daughter in."

A similar commitment to character development fuels Potter's coaching philosophy: "To be a successful cheerleader, you have to have confidence, so I put self-esteem and character traits first, because you can't win without those, anyway."

You might hear similar words from Aaron Skinner, who also grew up as a Pop Warner athlete. "I love the game of football and want to give back to the game and give kids a positive experience," he said. "If they come back the next year, I know I've done my job."

Leading his team to a 9-2 record and the Orange Empire Conference playoffs, Skinner also mixed in life lessons. "I want players to take away from our program that they should trust their teammates, that they should be disciplined, and that they should take pride in themselves. I tell them to make sure they're looking sharp in their uniforms, just like they would for a date or a job interview."

Skinner, who recalls being "scared" of certain coaches in his youth, makes a point to connect with his players on a personal level. "While we're stretching, I walk through the group, give them knuckles, ask them how they're doing, how's their homework, how are their parents. I get to know them as people."

PCA congratulates Angela Potter and Aaron Skinner, two outstanding Pop Warner Double-Goal Coaches!